First Day Back After Everything That Happened in Türkiye 🇹🇷 | S1 EP01

Welcome to my Istanbul vlog this is Day 1 of my Muslim travel series across Turkey 🇹🇷 where I explore the Islamic side of Istanbul, Ottoman culture, and daily life as a British Muslim.

This is my first day back in Istanbul, and honestly, I never thought I’d return… My last visit to Turkey didn’t go the way I expected. I focused too much on the negativity the scams, the stress and not enough on the beauty, peace, and deep Islamic culture of Turkey. But this time, I came with a purpose: to show the real Islam in Turkey, the rich Ottoman history, and the daily life of Muslims in Istanbul through this daily vlog series.

We started the day in Kadıköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul, where I had one of my favorite Turkish foods: burek and some local kebab. The food was tasty, though I joked it needed a bit more seasoning! After breakfast, we tested our old Istanbulkart (which surprisingly still worked after a year!) and took the ferry across the Bosphorus to the European side of Istanbul, one of the most scenic and iconic parts of any Istanbul vlog.

Our next stop was the peaceful historic book market near the Grand Bazaar, filled with Qurans, Islamic gifts, and handmade calligraphy. There, we met a kind shopkeeper who told us about his wife’s beautiful Islamic artwork and gave us some deep insights into Sufi Islam a topic I’ve never really explored before. It was humbling to hear about the spiritual side of Turkish Islam from someone living it daily.

Then we visited one of the most spiritually powerful places in Turkey: Eyüp Sultan Mosque, the resting place of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The atmosphere was so Islamic Muslims everywhere, making du’a, performing wudu, and coming together to honor July 15, the day of remembrance for the martyrs of the 2016 coup attempt. They held a special prayer inside the mosque, and it was emotional just being part of it.

Inside the mosque, I made du’a, met an imam from Istanbul, and visited the tomb of Eyüp Sultan. It was a deeply spiritual moment, and one I’ll never forget. After leaving the mosque, we took a moment to reflect before heading to Taksim Square, where we tried a famous Istanbul wet burger (had to see what the hype was about). From there, we returned to the Asian side, had another local kebab, and wrapped up the day at our hotel:
📍Elephant in the Room located in the heart of Kadıköy.

This video is Day 1 of my full Turkey daily vlog series — where I’ll be travelling across the country to show the beauty of Islam in Turkey, exploring Ottoman culture, Sufi traditions, halal street food, and the real Muslim life in Turkey. If you’re looking for an honest, raw, Muslim travel vlog that’s rooted in faith, culture, and brotherhood, you’re in the right place.

📲 TikTok:   / islam.lewis  
📸 Instagram:   / islamlewis